Is compassion really a liability, Mr Dutton?
Is compassion really a liability, Mr Dutton? This is what 350 of my medical colleagues think.
Dear Mr Dutton,
I know you’re on the record saying “doctor advocates” are too compassionate. Mr Abbott thought so too. Apparently, we have a nasty tendency to “err on the side of compassion” when we speak against the appalling human rights atrocities we see at Manus. But the truth is, compassion is the only thing holding our health services together. The only reason we have a “world class health system”, one of the most efficient in the world, is that countless tasks, hours and other resources are donated by its staff because they genuinely care about their patients.
Our hospitals run on unpaid labour. This situation is intolerable for 7-11; it should be intolerable for our health system. Look at any crowded accident and emergency department, mental health service or busy ward and there will be doctors, nurses and allied health staff donating time so patients don’t suffer the consequences of overwhelmed, underfunded hospitals. Essentially, we are addicted to using cheap junior staff for complex medical work.
We are also addicted to using our internationally trained colleagues to serve communities who have the most challenging health needs in the country. Without these immigrants and refugees, Mr Dutton, rural and remote Australians would suffer even worse outcomes than they currently do. Essentially our compassion is enabling poor policy and poor work practices. Both of which put patients at risk.
One of the greatest strengths (and weaknesses) of our profession is that most of us will fill in the gaps in the health system any way we can. For instance, GPs and practice nurses are spending extraordinary amounts of time helping their elderly patients navigate the My Aged Care website. It’s not exactly intuitive. Who thought that an online system that requires several 10 digit numbers to navigate was a good choice for our vulnerable elderly patients with early dementia? If it wasn’t for the carers and the staff in General Practices (and their endless patience for our patients) our most vulnerable elderly patients would receive no care at all. We used to have community nurses doing this work, and doing it well. We miss them.
Those of us working with Aboriginal communities, refugees, homeless patients and drug and alcohol clients do so because we actually care. Like many, many others in the health professions, we are donating increasing amounts of time. Which means, Mr Dutton, your government gets more praise than it deserves for its health system. If we continue to do this, we will follow the NHS in the UK, where GPs are resigning so fast primary care is collapsing.
The one thing we know in our profession is that bleeding hearts eventually cease to beat. Doctors are burning out. When people burn out, we end up with one of two outcomes. They become cold and sometimes unintentionally cruel foot soldiers in a dysfunctional system, or they become unwell themselves. I’m sure this is echoed across our colleagues in nursing and allied health.
In our profession, we now have junior staff dying from suicide at unacceptably high levels. Bullying and harassment is rife. Four percent of our colleagues will attempt suicide across their careers, many more will leave their profession. Others will lose their health, their marriages and solid relationships with their children. We all know kind health systems get better outcomes, Mr Dutton and Mr Hunt. Burned out staff who are experiencing their own suicidal thoughts have little capacity for kindness.
Compassion is a finite resource. So instead of criticising our profession and others for being excessively compassionate, how about some gratitude for helping you and your team look good in the eyes of all Australians? I doubt consumers and carers want less compassion in their health care.
Because one thing is certain. We will continue to speak out against cruel, inhumane, ignorant and thoughtless policies. Doctors have done this for centuries: it is a core professional value. If we were treating you or your families, you would want us to do the same for you.
Mr Dutton, it’s just what we do.
A/Prof Louise Stone
Dr Christine Ahern
Dr Karin Amadeus
Dr Cathryn Amey
Dr Stuart Anderson
Dr Briony Andrew
Dr Olivia Andrews
Dr Bronte Appleton
Dr Elham Asadi
Dr Priyal Rama Asary
Dr Rosemary Atkinson
Dr Kerrie Aust
Dr Andrew Baade
Dr Zowie Bailey
Dr Yvonne Baker
Dr Clare Ballingall
Dr Pramita Banerjee
Dr Matthew Barber
Dr Tristan Barnes
Dr Annette Barratt
Dr Kristi Bateman
Dr Mardi Beck
Dr Lisa Beecham
Dr Nahlia Bell
Dr Kate Bendall
Dr Pia Bernardi
Dr Melanie Berry
Dr Emma Blackwood
Dr Julia Blake
Dr Michele Blandford
Dr Clare Boerma
Dr Trisha Boetto
Dr Victoria Bradley
Dr Katrina Bradley
Dr Sandy Braiuka
Dr Erin Bryce
Dr Michelle Bullmore
Dr Barbara Cameron
Dr Ella Cameron
Dr Emma Campbell
Dr Julie Carlile
Dr Kylie Catania
Dr Tim Caton
Dr Elizabeth Cawson
Dr Snya Chadha
Dr Jyoti Chaku
Dr Debra Chandler
Dr Shirley Chapman
Dr Stephen Chau
Dr Tani Chin
Dr Jamie Chum
Dr Lisa Clarke
Dr Susan Clarke
Dr Tamsin Cockayne
Dr Yolanda Coleman
Dr Susannah Collings
Dr Jane Collins
Dr Heather Connors
Dr Melanie Considine
Dr Angela Cooney
Dr Meghan Cooney
Dr Rosemary Craig
Dr Michelle Crockett
Dr Jodi Croft
Dr Sarah Cush
Dr Maria da Costa
Dr Marjolein De Vries
Dr Helen Dewhurst
Dr Simone Dombroski
Dr Jacqueline Duc
Dr Srishti Dutta
Dr Michelle Dutton
Dr Jude Ellis
Dr Kassandra Fairhall
Dr Emily Farrell
Dr Cherelle Fitzclarence
Dr Alison Fitz-Gerald
Dr Clare Frawley
Dr Lay Theng Gan
Dr Sue Gardiner
Dr Kelly-Anne Garnier
Dr Emily Geraghty
Dr Hayley Glasson
Dr Martina Gleeson
Dr Celine Gol
Dr Alison Goldzieher
Dr Katie Goot
Dr Mary-Louise Graham
Dr Katherine Graham
A/Prof Saroja Gunasekera
Dr Geetika Gupta
Dr Hanika Haiart
Dr Fiona Haines
Dr Roger Halliwell
Dr Clare Hand
Dr Belinda Hanley
Dr Amandeep Hansra
Dr Renee Harkin
Dr Elise Harrison
Dr Louise Harrison
Dr Katrina Harrison
Dr Matt Harvey
Dr Angela Hawkins
Dr Georgina Hayden
Dr Allison Hempenstall
Dr Sarah Hewer
Dr Claire Hewer
Dr Vanessa Hewitt
Dr Lin Hickey
Dr Katie Hoff
Dr Rebekah Hoffman
Dr Bronwyn Holding
Dr Catherine Hollier
Dr Anita Hutchison
Dr Hus Ibrahim
Dr Deborah Inman
Dr Kimberley Ivory
Dr Melody Jackson
Dr Sonali Jain
Dr Sarah James
Dr Saba Javed
Dr Nipu Jayatilleke
Dr Charan Jeet
Dr Darshini Jeyaratnam
Dr Sam Jones
Dr Rachel Jones
Dr Tamara Jones
Dr Chaitra Jose
Dr Sylvia Joseph
Dr Andrew Junge
Dr Ian Kammerman
Dr Amy Kang
Dr Monique Kanters
Dr Katy Kassimirova
Dr Graeme Kay
Dr Alyson Kelly
Dr Veronica Kelly
Dr John-Paul Kennedy
Dr Samantha Kerr
Dr Iona Khong
Dr Tammy Kimpton
Dr Anna Kingshott
Dr Jenni Koch
Dr Monisha Lalji
Dr Matthew Lam
Dr Jason Lam
Dr Mike Langran
Dr Robyn Lawford
Dr Emma Lawrence
Dr Cathy Lee
Dr Zoe Ling
Dr Amy Litras
Dr Rebecca Lock
Dr Denissa Loh
Dr Claudia Long
Dr Marita Long
Dr Phoebe Loxton
Dr Natalie Ly
Dr Suzanne Lyon
Dr Sarah Mackney
Dr Jane MacLeod
Dr Jessica Madsen
Dr Marisa Magiros
Dr Sargun Mahindroo
Dr Krista Maier
Dr Robyn Maiolo
Dr Ashanya Malalasekera
Dr Nisha Manoheran
Dr Angela Marsiglio
Dr Scott Masters
Dr Scott Masters
Dr Rebecca Mathews
Dr Kate Mathews
Dr Roisin Mattinson
Dr Frances Maxwell
Dr Sarah McDonnell
Dr Jessica McEwan
Dr Katherine McInroy
Dr Jessica McLaren
Dr Kat McLean
Dr Janet McLearie
Dr Danielle McMullen
Dr Kelly McNamara
Dr Jerome Mellor
Dr Corin Miller
Dr Sarah Mills
Dr Erin Mills
Dr Azar Mirzaee
Dr Tshegofatso Mogae
Dr Zewlan Moor
Dr Deborah Morawetz
Dr Golnar Mortezaei
Dr Anushi Mousa
Dr Bronwyn Mueller
Dr Natalie Mulcahy
Dr Belinda Murphy
Dr Alice Muspratt
Dr Yeshika Naidoo
Dr Emily Nash
Dr Carolyn Neil
Dr Maryam Nesvaderani
Dr Lam Nguyen
Dr Marisa Nguyen
Dr Tam Nguyen
Dr Quynh-Nhu Nguyen
Dr Ashe Nicholas
Dr Julie O’Brien
Dr Inger Olesen
Dr Erin Oliver-Landry
Dr Ira Pant
Dr Magdalene Parkes
Dr Aneetha Pasupati
Dr Penny Patrikios
Dr Pratap John Phillip
Dr Anita Phillips
Dr Lisa Phipps
Dr Danielle Pickett
Dr Hannah Pincham
Dr Drusilla Poiner
Dr Trupti Prasad
Dr Samuel Primrose
Dr Catherine Quinlan
Dr Danielle Quittner
Dr Lucy Ramon
Dr Nathaniel Reid
Dr Sophia Richardson
Dr Annie Roberts
Dr Nina Robertson
Dr Katherine Robinson
Dr Chris Rock
Dr Clare Roczniok
Dr Natalia Rode
Dr Marni Rosenberg
Dr Amy Rosser
Dr Marnie Rowan
Dr Emily Roxburgh
Dr Carolyn Royse
Dr Miriam Russo
Dr Nancy Saab
Dr Seetha Sapre
Dr Megan Saul
Dr Anisha Saxena
Dr Emma Scriven
Dr Amber Seigel
Dr Raja Sengupta
Dr Wendy Sexton
Dr Louise Seymour
Dr Kate Shapman
Dr Eleanor Sharland
Dr Nicole Sheridan
Dr Gina Sherry
Dr Brada Shimmin
Dr Bernard Shiu
Dr Hannah Shoemaker
Dr Molly Shorthouse
Dr Marcia Smart
Dr Laura Smith
Dr Melanie Smith
Dr Rhiannon Smith
Dr Clare Smith
Dr Lauren Smith
Dr Kaarin Smyth
Dr Alison Soerensen
Dr Jessica Sommer
Dr Tuck Meng Soo
Dr Kelly Spencer
Dr Calista Spiro
Dr Paul Stack
Dr Eboney Staker
Dr Erin Stalenberg
Dr Bridget Steer
Dr Katja Stehr
Dr Amanda Stephens
Dr Adele Stewart
Dr Rebecca Stewart
Dr Luciana Stimmler
Dr Jacinda Stork
Dr Danielle Everett Stotzer
Dr May Su
Dr Casey Sullivan
Dr Leonie Sutton
Dr Amanda Tait
Dr Priscilla Tan
Dr Stella Tang
Dr Margaret Taylor
Dr Sarah Tedjasukmara
Dr Antje Theilhaber
Dr Jan Theobald
Dr Amitha Thomas
Dr Amy Thomas
Dr Brett Thomson
Dr Brodie Thorpe
Dr Joanne Tong
Dr Robert Trigger
Dr Rolf Tsui
Dr Leonel Valansi
Dr Nyoli Valentine
Dr Rowan Valentine
Dr Adele Van der Merwe
Dr Bryony Van Santen
Dr Peter Vanrietvelde
Dr Nan Vasilunas
Dr Pavla Walsh
Dr Ingrid Wangel
Dr Olga Ward
Dr Helen Ward
Dr Kelly Watt
Dr Chalani Weerasinghe
Dr Rebecca Wessell
Dr Clair Whelan
Dr Kirby White
Dr Danielle White
Dr Oscar Whitehead
Dr Naomi Whyler
Dr Amanda Wijeratne
Dr Emily Wilcox
Dr Alexandra Williams
Dr Ryan Williams
Dr Phoebe Williams
Dr Kelly Windnagel
Dr Melissa Witt
Dr Penny Wood
Dr Emily Wright
Dr Bree Wright
Dr Georgia Wyatt
Dr Georgia Wyatt
Dr Jackie Yeoh
Dr Madelaine Young
Dr Sara Yusuf
Dr Jo-Anne Zappia
Dr Diana Zwijnenburg